Tag: motivation

So you want to be an author or writer or blogger. So what. There are so many voices out there and social media has turned a mirror to society. Everyone can literally live in their own world all day every day and spend countless hours and millions of finger-miles scrolling through feeds and stories and timelines. Does any of it accomplish anything?

Whew. Fear not, this is not a negative rant about the futility of the modern age. Quite the contrary, this is a philosophical crossroads.

“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”

Henry David Thoreau

As I’m preparing (actually preparing and mapping out posts) for this blog and some future writings, an all important question came up, “Who am I?” Where have I been, what have my experiences taught me about life, is any of it relevant to others? These questions led to more questions…Can my life serve as a lesson? Since you can’t change any of the events that have happened in the past, how can you use that knowledge to make from this moment on a better, more meaningful existence? The trail of questions continues and I continue to jot them down as they come because if I put aside vanity and ego and take an objective look at myself, am I sitting down to write without having stood up to live? Thoreau doesn’t live in the modern age where millennials have their quarter life crises live on Facebook before finishing college.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around for a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

It can’t just be me that feels the incredible pressure of modern society, can it? [rhetorical]

What does any of this have to do with anything? Internal and external barriers will tell you to pump the brakes. Out for a run on the track or trail you might catch yourself saying, “Whar am I holding back for?” You may not be that self-aware yet, but the next steps are to trod on anyway…. You don’t feel qualified to teach on a subject, teach anyway and find the gaps in your knowledge real time. Trust me, they are there, and they will change with every student.

Don’t feel like you have anything important to say? So what. Work on your craft, hone your skills, take stock of who you really are and tell stories. People live for stories, and your authentic self shines when you relate to your audience personally. Ask yourself, who am I really? Secret: You are more than what you do.

Put in the work, realize that it will take time to build a solid foundation. Fill in personal development gaps. Go out and win, consistently. And in inevitable defeat find the wins there too. You are on your way.